A group of activist hackers have begun attacking MasterCard.com, Amazon.com, PostFinace, Paypal.com and others in retaliation for cutting of the WikiLeaks organization. The targeted companies, after receiving pressure from the US government, opted to sever their relationships with WikiLeaks, preventing the organization from hosting its site, halting the flow of donations and freezing the organization's Swiss bank accounts. The group of hackers is leaderless and operates anonymously. The groups has attacked organizations in the past, notable Scientologist websites. In twitter posts and other online statements, the hackers said they agree with WikiLeaks mission of opening up governments, exposing lies and support the freedom of the press and the Internet. However, their online activism may have unintended consequences. Vague new regulations are being drafted by the Obama administration which would make it easier for the government to spy on Internet communications, including email, social media, general Web sites and mobile phones. Obama hopes to require all devices with online communications to be made with a build in ability to comply with a wiretap order.

A DNS provider that suffered backlash last week after it was wrongly identified as supplying and then dropping DNS service to WikiLeaks has decided to support the secret-spilling site, offering DNS service to two domains distributing WikiLeaks content.

EasyDNS, a Canadian firm, was attacked last Friday after media outlets mistakenly reported it had terminated its service for WikiLeaks. The company sent an e-mail to customers Thursday morning letting them know that it had begun providing DNS service for WikiLeaks.ch and WikiLeaks.nl, two of the primary domain names WikiLeaks relocated to after WikiLeaks.org stopped resolving.

“We’ve already done the time, we might as well do the crime,” Mark Jeftovic, president and CEO of EasyDNS, told Threat Level about his decision.

DNS service providers translate human-friendly domain names to IP addresses, so when someone types www.Amazon.com into their browser, for example, they’re properly connected to 72.21.211.176, the address of the host.

It was actually EveryDNS, a competitor of EasyDNS, that had been providing this service to WikiLeaks.org for free. EveryDNS terminated this service last week after WikiLeaks was hit by prolonged denial-of-service (DoS) attacks by people opposed to the group publishing classified U.S. State Department cables. The company said the denial-of-service attacks against WikiLeaks threatened the stability of service for other EveryDNS customers.

In reporting this announcement, bloggers misidentified the DNS provider as EasyDNS, a mistake that was repeated in news stories. EasyDNS was subsequently caught in a firestorm. WikiLeaks supporters attacked it on Twitter. Jeftovic said he also got calls from customers saying, “We can’t believe you’ve taken down WikiLeaks, we’re out of here.”

Jeftovic posted a note to the company blog at the time, musing about the mishap and the fact that his company was now put in the precarious position of deciding what it would do if WikiLeaks did want to become a customer. Would EasyDNS then be attacked if it turned the organization away?

“So after the big clusterf*** with easyDNS being falsely blamed for taking down WikiLeaks,” he wrote, “somebody posts the inevitable question ‘Would easyDNS take wikileaks DNS’? and from there makes what I think is a dubious extension: by not taking them we’re doing the same thing as ‘taking them down.’”

Two days later he was faced with precisely this dilemma when people behind two WikiLeaks mirror sites that have become the defacto WikiLeaks content providers contacted him about becoming customers.

One of the correspondents, based in Switzerland, controls the Swiss-based WikiLeaks.ch domain, which became one of two main domains for accessing the U.S. State Department cables after WikiLeaks stopped using WikiLeaks.org. EasyDNS began providing DNS service for the domain Sunday evening, using 14 name servers. Jeftovic was subsequently contacted by someone who controls WikiLeaks.nl in the Netherlands, and began providing service to that address on Monday.

Jeftovic said he was also in line to take over service for the WikiLeaks.org domain, but that fell through after there was confusion about who exactly controls the domain. He said he’s willing to take that one on as well, if the details are worked out.

Jeftovic agreed to provide the service on condition that resolution for the domains would be provided by dedicated, battle-hardened servers separate from other customers so that any attacks directed against them would not disturb other clients.

Although he says his company is pro-transparency, Jeftovic didn’t go so far as to say he philosophically supports WikiLeaks.

“But I do not believe WikiLeaks is aiding terrorists,” he said. “I think there’s so much hyperbole around it.”

His main reason for agreeing to provide access to WikiLeaks content was practical.

“We were dragged into this,” he said. “The alternatives were we do nothing and get dragged through the mud again, or we just basically do the one thing that really shuts everybody up.”

He said the result has been a “groundswell” of support among the company’s 50,000 customers.

“There is a minority of people who are not happy with this, but by far the majority is extremely supportive,” he said. “Forty percent of our member base is in the U.S., and a lot of our U.S. customers are really on side with this and happy with it.”

He acknowledged that his assistance to WikiLeaks could be terminated if his company were served with an injunction.

But one of the lessons demonstrated by the recent attacks on WikiLeaks is that a popular website can survive even without DNS, thanks to Google. The top search result for WikiLeaks on Thursday is a link to the site’s Internet IP address, 213.251.145.96. WikiLeaks is strong enough now that it can survive as a number.

PANAMA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli declared a national emergency on Thursday after heavy rains and flooding killed 10 people and displaced over 1,500.

"We will help all of the towns that have had problems," said Martinelli, adding that 962 homes were damaged and 4,000 were affected in three hardest-hit eastern provinces.

He said the dam of Bayano power plant almost burst when the water level reached its maximum capacity of 63 meters. The power plant generates 10 percent of the country's electricity.

"We almost lost the dam. Fortunately, the water level has gone down," said the president before a tour of the area affected by the flooding.

He also said AES Panama, which administrates the Bayano dam, must be held accountable for the damage suffered by thousands of people living near the Bayano river.

The National System of Civil Protection, ministries and security organizations of this country will deliver humanitarian aid, including water, food, mattresses, clothing and medicines, to the disaster area.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is making it possible for developers to directly integrate mobile applications for Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, and also apps for Android-based smartphones, with its cloud using two new beta SDKs (software development kits), it said in a blog post on Thursday.

Amazon's aim is to make it easier for developers to build mobile applications that take advantage of its cloud-based services. Previously, developers had to do more of the work themselves, including writing their own libraries to handle the HTTP connection and error handling, according to Amazon.

Using the AWS SDK for Android and the AWS SDK for iOS developers can integrate their applications with Amazon's cloud-based Simple Storage Service (S3), the SimpleDB database and send messages using Simple Notification Service (SNS) and Simple Queue Service (SQS).

Possible applications of the services include uploading photos, videos, and other types of content to Amazon S3; sharing game moves and high scores using Amazon SimpleDB, or transmitting messages between smartphones without the need for any additional server infrastructure, Amazon said.

The SDKs include libraries, full documentation and some sample code. The libraries take care of a number of low-level tasks such as authentication, retrying of requests, and error handling.

This was the terrifying moment that a mob of anarchists attacked Prince Charles and Camilla's car outside the London Palladium tonight.

The couple were due to attend the Royal Variety Performance, which was taking place very close to the epicentre of a day of violent protest in Parliament Square, when it was swarmed by people supposedly protesting against the rise in student tuition fees.

Protesters had thrown paintbombs at police throughout a day of protests and the burgundy 1977 Rolls Royce Phantom VI was hit by an explosion of white paint on Prince Charles's side of the car. A window was smashed, two rear panels were dented and the aerial was broken.

Clarence House said that the couple were unharmed in the incident on Regent Street, but onlookers said Camilla looked extremely shaken after the attack.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, described the attack as 'shocking and regrettable.'

Damage: The boot and rear wing of the 1977 Rolls Royce Phantom was dented

One protester who witnessed the attack said: 'We were headed up towards Regent Street and there didn't seem to be a lot of police about and people were throwing things at shops.

'Then out of nowhere came this car and when you looked into it you could clearly see Prince Charles and Camilla inside it looking incredibly confused.

'We all stood there for a millisecond in stunned silence and then people started lunging towards the car from all sides. It all happened very quickly.'

Despite the attack, Charles and Camilla were said to look calm as they arrived at the venue for tonight's Royal Variety Performance and the couple did not appear to have been delayed.

The car in which they were attacked was the one that Charles and Camilla drove from their wedding in Windsor in the summer or 2005. It was loaned to Charles by The Queen who had been given it as a gift by the carmaker at her silver jubilee.

Entry: Demonstrators go through the doors of the HM Treasury building after breaking in

It was the latest in a series of shocking incidents on a day of widespread civil disturbances.

At least nine police officers were seriously injured as mask-wearing anarchists hijacked the final tuition fees protest and turned yet another peaceful demonstration into chaos.

Around 20,000 students and activists descended on central London as the demonstrations of recent weeks culminated in a final show of anger at the hike and the Liberal Democrat U-turn.

At least 22 arrests were made, including nine for violent disorder, two for arson and four for burglary.

As the night wore on, police contained hundreds of people on Westminster Bridge as they prepared to release them from the 'kettling' cordon.

Shortly before 6pm the policy to increase the fees cap to £9,000 was carried by 323 votes to 302 - a majority of 21.

The vote did nothing to quell the day-long unrest.

Blaze: A security hut burning as protesters look on outside the Houses of Parliament tonight

Running battle: Stand-offs took place on either side of metal barriers in Westminster

Stones used: Protesters smashed at the windows of the Treasury building as they attempted to enter

Lit up: Riot police come under attack from flares as they clash with protesters

Shortly after, two people were filmed smashing away at the reinforced glass windows of the Treasury building with broken breeze blocks as they tried to enter.

When protesters broke through windows and doors a line of police officers formed a new barrier with their riot shields to prevent them from entering.

The mob then moved onto the Supreme Court where a window was smashed and graffiti was sprayed on the doors.

Police officers stood shoulder to shoulder to protect the building from protesters.

Another premises targeted was the Topshop store on Oxford Street where graffiti was sprayed, seemingly aimed at Sir Philip Green who owns the company, which included the words, 'Tax dodgers pay your tax.'

Mounting such tight police lines to protect the properties took its toll on the officers throughout the day, resulting in many injuries.

A Met spokesman said: 'Nine officers have been seriously injured, we have reports of suspected broken wrists and leg and neck injuries.

'Extreme violence currently being directed towards officers is hindering attempts to allow non-violent protesters to leave the containment area.'

On fire: The statue of Viscount Palmerston was set alight and, right, students make their feelings known at the statue of Churchill

The disturbances took place around thousands of Christmas shoppers and The Met added that protesters set fire to the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.

The Met Police Commissioner, Sir Paul Stepenson, condemned the violent element of the protests, and also dismissed criticism of the 'kettling' tactic as an excuse.

'It's utter nonsense. People watching will condemn what has happened today. It is an excuse that people are hiding behind.'

'We want people to protest peacefully on the streets of London if that is what they want to do but the behaviour today was wholly unacceptable and we will carry out a very detailed investigation to identify those responsible'

Protests took place throughout the day in the lead up to the vote.

Three officers were wounded and had to be taken to hospital after clashes when a hardcore group of protesters repeatedly tried to break through police lines outside the Houses of Parliament earlier in the day.

Footage showed one policeman lying motionless on the ground. Medics fitted him with a neck brace and used a makeshift stretcher to remove him.

One mounted officer was knocked from his horse as missiles including flares, sticks, snooker balls and smoke bombs were hurled from the crowds across the cordon.

Unseated: A police rider lies on the ground after he was pulled off his horse by protesters

Dragged to safety: A police officer is helped by a medic during the protests

Rescue: Police officers listen for a heartbeat on an injured protester

Motionless: A police officer injured in the protests is helped by medics

As MPs prepared to vote on the controversial fee rise earlier, Scotland Yard resorted to 'kettling' the demonstrators in Parliament Square in a bid to contain the violence.

A student was spotted urinating on the Winston Churchill statue, wooden benches were set alight and the grass was covered with a huge 'No' in bright red graffiti.

Protesters were forced to run back into the Square after mounted police charged at the crowds in a desperate bid to stop the surge. Seven have been arrested so far.

Teenager Sophie Down said: 'The police were backing off and we were trying to work it what was happening and we didn't know what was going on, then they all just started charging.

'I'm worried about my friends. I saw a guy who was sitting on the ground and I could see something was wrong with him.

'Everyone was in a good mood - it was like a carnival - but there are people who are clearly looking for a fight.'

Elsewhere, as protesters fanned out through Whitehall, a female student was caught climbing up the Cenotaph - the monument to Britain's war dead - using the Union flag flying there.

Anger: Student protesters gathered for a march on Parliament against tuition fees

Widespread: Protesters gathered around the statue of Churchill where, earlier in the day, a student urinated

Flames: Two demonstrators jump from the top of a bonfire in Parliament Square

But they were not backed by several senior figures in their own party and Deputy leader Simon Hughes was among those who abstained, in what was a very narrow victory for the Government.

Mr Hughes insisted this morning that the move to increase the tuition fees ceiling to £9,000-a-year could discourage poorer students from pursuing higher education.

'I have decided that I won't be able to support the Government on the fees level, particularly because I believe that for a constituency like mine, the level of fee increase... may have a significant disincentive effect on youngsters going to university,' he said.

There will be a single vote on the proposed increase after none of the possible amendments were selected - a situation that will help the Government.

The coalition's majority was enough to pass the vote but it risks inflicting long-term damage if the rebels coalesce into a disaffected faction and voters fail to forgive their U-turn.

Some claim it could become the party's Iraq war or poll tax and dog them when it comes to the next election.

Crowds of protesters swarm around the statute of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square

Demonstrators and police officers are surrounded by red smoke in Parliament Square

Early on in the debate, protesters had to be removed from the Commons public gallery after they stood up, waved and shouted.

Around five protesters were strong-armed out of the chamber by doorkeepers, as much of the rest of the public gallery burst into applause.

Most MPs were oblivious to the happenings above them as the gallery's reinforced glass screen blocked out the sound.

More than a dozen Lib Dems in total, including former leaders Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell, are expected to vote against the plans.

Senior Tories concede that between 10 and 16 of their number will either vote against or abstain, despite personal pleas to some rebels by David Cameron.

The Prime Minister launched a make-or-break bid to save the plans to treble fees last night, claiming the reforms will end a system that favours privately-educated pupils like him.

Deputy PM Mr Clegg today denied he would feel 'ashamed' when he voted for the plans after signing a pre-election pledge to scrap fees altogether.

'I would feel ashamed if I didn't deal with the way that the world is, not simply dream of the way the world I would like it to be,' he said.

'In the circumstances in which we face, where there isn't very much money around, where many millions of other people are being asked to make sacrifices, where many young people in the future want to go to university - we have to find the solution for all of that.

'I believe that asking graduates to make a contribution - and only make a contribution after they have left university, no upfront fees whatsoever, and only when they have earned a considerably more amount of money than they do under the present system - that is the best possible choice we could have taken.'

Restrained: Police covered in paint pin down a demonstrator

Clashes: Police officers scuffling with demonstrators in Westminster

Mr Cable insisted he was 'proud' of the proposals but admitted 'it's not easy politically'. 'In government we have to make tough choices. We've made them and I think we've produced a better system,' he said.

'We accepted when we entered into the coalition agreement that some of our commitments could be maintained, others could not,' he told the BBC. 'We have had to compromise and the coalition agreement was a compromise.

'It made a commitment to produce a fairer, more progressive system of student tuition fees - we've done that. And it did provide for my colleagues who wish to abstain to do so.'

The Government felt confident enough of victory not to bring back Energy Secretary Chris Huhne from climate change talks in Mexico to bolster the 'yes' vote.

But Labour leader Ed Miliband tried to stir dissent in Lib Dem ranks, by branding it a 'day of judgment' for the party.

D-day: David Cameron leaving Downing Street this morning

'Today it looks like many Lib Dems will break that promise. To abstain in this vote will simply allow the Government to increase tuition fees. I am calling on all MPs - including Lib Dems - to vote against this increase,' he said.

Labour were pushing for a longer debate in the hope that more Lib Dems will revolt if it is drawn out.

Dr Cable yesterday issued three more concessions to try and ease jitters on the backbenches.

The salary threshold at which graduates start to repay fees will be reassessed each year in line with earnings from 2016 - not just every five years, as had been planned.

The existing £15,000 minimum earnings repayment level will also be linked to inflation from 2012, and part-time students will be able to qualify for student loans if they study for a quarter of the year, rather than having to study for a third as planned.

It has emerged that student leaders proposed £4.2billion in cuts over four years to support for poorer undergraduates, teching funds and research grants in a bid to avoid higher fees.

They e-mailed Dr Cable in October when he was drawing up his response to the Browne report on higher education funding, arguing funding cuts could avoid the need for a fee rise.

A coalition source said it was 'astonishing' that the NUS was opposing the increase when its leaders were ready to contemplate 'drastic' cuts in grants for existing students.

Blue line: Police officers standing across the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace this afternoon

A top Sprint executive revealed it will bring out more tablet PCs in 2011 to cater to customer demand. In an interview with Reuters published on Thursday, Sprint business markets President Paget Alves revealed these same customers are looking to replace their larger and more expensive notebooks with the smaller devices. According to the President, tablets are proving more popular than any other consumer electronics product.

Specifically, staff such as salespeople can benefit greatly from tablets, as they usually only need to see spreadsheets and not create them.

"We expect to have a broad portfolio of tablets in 2011," Alves said.

Alves did not name any specific tablets the provider will add to its offerings in 2011, including Apple's iPad or RIM's PlayBook. Thus far, Sprint only offers the seven-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab. The exec believed that as many as 12 new tablets will be introduced at the CES show in January, though only some may reach Sprint at best.

Company chief Dan Hesse has been unusually elusive on any prospective deals with Apple, neither confirming nor denying talks but instead saying he isn't allowed to discuss anything. The company didn't get the same option to sell the iPad directly as Verizon and AT&T, raising suspicions that Verizon paid for a semi-exclusive where only it and AT&T are allowed to sell Apple devices in the US.